Storm leaves Baxter in the dark

A strong thunderstorm late Thursday afternoon knocked out power to about 500 Crow Wing Power customers in Baxter.

The storm swept into the Brainerd area a little after 4 p.m. In addition to knocking out power in Baxter, trained spotters reported to the National Weather Service in Duluth 45 mph wind gusts in East Gull Lake, three-quarter inch hail three miles south of McGregor and quarter-inch hail three miles west of Merrifield and 10 miles west of Palisade in Aitkin County.

Char Kinzer, Crow Wing Power public relations manager, said there were three outages in Baxter caused by the storm, two from trees falling on power lines and a third from a lightning strike or downed tree.

"It was pretty intense for a little bit there," Kinzer said. Power was expected to be restored Thursday night.

Law enforcement officers from several agencies directed traffic at signalized intersections in Baxter during the rush hour until power was restored.

The weather service issued a special weather statement before the storm arrived, stating the storm was capable of producing dime-sized hail, wind gusts up to 40 mph and frequent cloud to ground lightning. In Brainerd, 32-mph wind gusts were measured at the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport and hail was reported in East Gull Lake and in other areas around Gull Lake, including accumulation on the ground that looked like snow.

Wind, cooler temperatures and the possibility of rain are in the Labor Day weekend forecast:

Friday - Mostly cloudy with a 20-percent chance of rain in the morning then partly sunny in the afternoon with high temps of 58-63 degrees. Northwest winds 20-30 mph. Lows Friday night of 42-47 degrees.

Saturday - Mostly sunny, high temps of 62-67 degrees and northwest winds 10-15 mph. Lows Saturday night of 40-45 degrees.

Sunday - Mostly clear with high temps of 68-73 degree.

Labor Day - Partly sunny, a 40-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms with high temps of 70-75 degrees.

MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.